RELIEF Act of 2021 includes Hotel Grants

The bipartisan Relief Act of 2021 was signed into law on February 15, 2021, and includes more than $1 billion in tax relief and economic stimulus for struggling families and small businesses who are suffering as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A summary of the Relief Act can be found here.

New COVID-19 relief funding will soon be made available for certain Maryland businesses (including hotels – see more below) through the Maryland Economic Development Assistance Authority and Fund (also known as Commerce's Advantage Maryland program) and through Commerce's Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Account.  This website will be updated as details about these Commerce programs become available.
 
The Maryland Office of Tourism is assisting the coordination of funding avenues made newly available in the newly signed Relief Act.   All of the state agencies identified in the Relief Act are working together to develop distribution strategies to be able to distribute emergency funding assistance to stakeholders as quickly as possible.

As passed, the following language applies to Hotel Grants:

$10,000,000 authorized for the Maryland Economic Development Assistance Authority to provide funding to local governments for up to $25,000 grants to businesses that:

1. are primarily engaged in activities that, in accordance with the North American Industrial Classification System, would be included in Code 25 721110 (Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels) or Code 721191 (Bed–and–Breakfast Inns); and

2. if a part of a franchise with multiple locations of 28 businesses, are owned by a local franchisee; and

3. can demonstrate a need for assistance.

The Authority shall prioritize providing grants to businesses that have not received prior funding from the Authority.

***Please note, additional details related to this grant have been requested by MHLA; however no further information has been made available at this time.  This Commerce  website will be updated as details become available, and we will post updates as they are received by MHLA.

Additionally, the Office of the Comptroller of Maryland has created a "Maryland RELIEF" page on their website, which may be helpful to share with employees.  It includes a portal to check for information on relief payments, eligibility, videos that explain the process for distributing payments, and other resources.

Comptroller’s RELIEF Webpage: click here
For questions call 1-833-345-0787 or email ReliefAct@marylandtaxes.gov